War Warder

While most magi focus on the offensive capabilities of merging swordplay and sorcery, there are a select few that focus on the defensive abilities. These are the War Warders, warriors who use their arcane magic to better protect themselves and their allies.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A war warder is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields). He can cast magus spells while wearing light armor, medium armor, or a shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a war warder wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass war warder still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Aura of Protection (Su)

At first level, the war warder learns how to harness his arcane pool to protect himself and his allies. As long as there is at least one point left in the war warder’s arcane pool, he projects an aura of protection around him. Any ally, including the war warder, within 10 feet of the war warder gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC. At 8th and 14th level, this bonus increases by +1 and the range of the aura increases by +10 feet. If the war warder is killed, paralyzed, stunned, or knocked unconscious, this aura is disrupted. Whenever the condition that disrupted the aura is removed, the aura returns. A war warder can spend one point of their arcane pool to grant this bonus to the saves of all allies in the aura for a number of rounds equal to their Intelligence modifier.

This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 5th level and the Heavy Armor ability normally gained at 13th level.

Arcane Pool

At 1st level, a war warder can use his arcane pool to grant an enhancement bonus to his armor as well as to his shield, paying the arcane pool cost separately for each. At 5th level and above, he can also add any armor or shield special properties. The maximum bonus possible is equal to half his war warder class level.

Expanded Protective Knowledge

A war warder adds all abjuration spells below spell level 7 to his spell list. He must still learn these as usual. In the case of abjuration spells that are available at two different levels for different classes, use the level they are available to Clerics or Wizards, whichever is higher. For abjuration spells on neither the cleric or wizard spell list, but still on multiple spell lists, use the highest spell level of all spellcasters with 6 levels of spells with access to the spell. If no class with 6 spell levels has access to the spell, use the highest spell level of the classes remaining.

Arcana (Su)

A war warder must take the following magus arcana at the listed level.

Ranged Spell Shield(Su): The war warder can expend a point from his arcane pool as an immediate action to grant himself, or an ally within 30 feet, a shield bonus to AC equal to the war warder’s Intelligence bonus until the end of the target’s next turn. Any arcana that modifies Spell Shield affects Ranged Spell Shield as well. You must take this at third level, and it replaces the normal Spell Shield arcana.

Force Push (Sp)

At 4th level, a war warder learns how to shape magic in a way that allows him to reposition his enemies. The war warder gains a spell-like ability that he can use three times per day plus his Intelligence modifier. This spell-like ability acts like Hydraulic Push, except that instead of water, it is pure magical force. This is a force effect and it cannot extinguish any fires. The spell loses the water descriptor, and gains the force descriptor. The source of the blast can be from any point within range of the target. Activating this ability is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunities. Any feats or abilities you posses that modify bull rushes also modify this ability.

Eldritch Chains (Su)

At 11th level, if a foe’s movement in the war warder’s threatened area provokes an attack of opportunity and the war warder successfully hits the foe with the attack, the foe’s movement ends immediately. The foe cannot move again until its next turn but can still take the rest of its action. Upon being halted, the target must make a Reflex save or be entangled until the end of the target’s next round by eldritch chains. The DC is equal to 10 + ½ the war warder’s level + his Intelligence modifier.